Data Literacy: Making Society Fluent in Data

In the age of big data, data science, and AI, there is a broad ranged need for global data literacy. The time is near when national economies will be data-driven. Fortunately, a recent unveiling describes a timely resource to address this need. Qlik and The Data Literacy Project announced that they’ve partnered to launch acertification that lets individuals document and demonstrate their data literacy skills. Developed by leading academics and data literacy specialists at Qlik, this free, 70-question examination tests the ability to read, work with, analyze and argue with data.

Unlike the many existing technical qualifications for data analytics, data science and big data, this world-first exam will enable candidates from all walks of life to attain a physical certificate that attests they have the skills needed to succeed in an increasingly digitized workplace. This certification is launching just as the demand for a data literate workforce is on the rise, with Qlik’s Data Literacy Index indicating that one-third (36 percent) of business leaders would be willing to pay more to data literate individuals.

In addition to the data literacy certification, Qlik recently announced a data literacy community forum that will be the epicenter for conversations around the world, enabling organizations and individuals to connect with industry leaders and influencers in the space.

The great challenge in the Fourth Industrial Revolution is not capturing data, but turning it into actionable insights. Companies across all industries need employees to gain insights from data to sustain their value and drive competitive advantage. There is a significant global skills gap, with just 24% of employees worldwide confident in their ability to read, work with, analyze, and argue with data.

This free certification, pioneered by the Qlik education team and led by Qlik’s in-house academic Kevin Hanegan, is a comprehensive measure of an individual’s data literacy. Unlike the many existing technical qualifications for data analytics, data science and big data, this world-first exam will enable candidates from all walks of life to attain a physical certificate that attests they have the skills needed to succeed in an increasingly digitized workplace. These include both hard skills like understanding and interpreting data as well as soft skills like creativity, problem-solving and communicating. The certification design leverages Hanegan’s experience as a professor at the University of California and Oregon State University, along with his current work as Chief Learning Officer at Qlik, ensuring the certification reflects both business and academic requirements.

“The potential for data-informed decision making across all roles and business functions is massive,” said Kevin Hanegan, Chief Learning Officer, Qlik. “Data literacy has been proven to positively impact organizations’ enterprise value by up to 5 percent, so it is little surprise that this skill-set is becoming highly valued. We’re excited to help individuals demonstrate their data literacy without embarking on more technical, data analytics qualifications that may not be appropriate to their level.”

The 70-question examination will measure performance in the data skills that support better business decision-making, including:

Analyzing, asking questions of, making decisions and communicating with data

Interpreting business requirements

Understanding how data is built, used and transformed in order to analyze and tie back to business objectives

Utilizing visualizations to make data-informed decisions

Following
the two-hour examination, successful candidates will receive a physical
certificate and a badge for their LinkedIn and CV certifying to
employers
their ability to read, work with, analyze and argue with data.

Empowering Individuals Throughout Their Data Literacy Journey

The contribution of this world-first data literacy certification further enables the Data Literacy Project – launched by founding partners Qlik, Accenture, Cognizant, Experian, Pluralsight, Chartered Institute of Marketing and Data to the People in October 2018 – to achieve the goal of helping individuals at every stage in their data literacy journey.

Those starting on their data literacy journey can access e-learning resources on the Project’s website, including 19 courses that were recently made available free of charge by Qlik. These courses support the development of core data literacy skills, including Understanding Data, Data Storytelling and an Introduction to Data-Informed Decision Making.

“The creation of the first globally recognized certification to help more people document and demonstrate their data literacy skills is a hugely significant step in the right direction for the Data Literacy Project,” said Paul Malyon, Data Literacy Project Advisory Board Member and Head of Data Literacy at Experian. “Giving everyone the opportunity to become fully capable in, and certified, for their ability to read, work with, analyze and argue with data can only be positive for their careers, the businesses they work for and their day-to-day lives. Understanding data has never been more important and we’re delighted to be able to support this launch.”

Contributed by Daniel D. Gutierrez, Managing Editor and Resident
Data Scientist for insideBIGDATA. In addition to being a tech
journalist, Daniel also is a consultant in data scientist, author,
educator and sits on a number of advisory boards for various start-up
companies.

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